Srinagar, Nov 8: Farmers on Thursday said that waiving off KCC loans won’t be a compensation for the huge losses caused to them due to recent unseasonal snowfall as these loans are mostly availed by businessmen.
They demanded a “thorough survey” into the assessment of losses incurred to farmers so that a justified compensation is provided.
A delegation of farmers from south Kashmir briefed a news agency about the damages caused to their orchards in due to unseasonal snowfall last week.
The delegation slammed the government for its “indifferent attitude” towards them after suffering “huge losses” during the recent snowfall.
“Government has without any thought waived off KCC loans which is mostly availed by businessmen particularly shopkeepers. There should have been a proper survey so as to assess damages suffered by common farmer whose orchards have been ruined by the recent snowfall,” the farmers’ delegation said.
It said waiving off KCC loans will help a businessman while a common farmer and those who suffered losses will not be compensated. “The government needs to conduct a survey and accordingly compensate on the basis of the loss suffered by the farmers,” the aggrieved farmers said.
They said some businessman deliberately staged protests so as to seek compensation without suffering any losses.
“We have no issues if the government wants to waive off the loans of businessmen but it should not be at the expense of a poor farmer who has actually suffered the losses,” they said. “A farmer who has suffered the loss must be compensated.”
The delegation appealed the Governor-led administration to conduct a thorough survey into the losses suffered by the farmers and ensure due compensation to them.
“As most of the trees have been damaged, there is likelihood that there would be decline in crop yield in future years. So, the compensation should be such that the farmers would not suffer,” the delegation said. (GNS)